I would suggest that if this doesn't qualify as a space topic, neither does a rover on Mars. Perhaps the cruise phase of the vehicle that delivered the payload but the rover is within a planetary atmosphere.

A rover on Mars is off planet and is in "space". Balloons are still within the earth's atmosphere. A mars balloon would be a worthy discussion.

Fine, it's not "real spaceflight", just like sending people to live in some isolated enclosure in Antarctica or on the upper slopes of Mauna Loa in Hawaii isn't a "real Mars mission". But neither do they take away from real spaceflight activities, and might in some ways whet the appetites of people for the real thing. Floating up so high, you've got just about everything except the weightlessness.

Since JP Aerospace showcased their ballooning expertise with their Ascender idea, I wonder if they'd consider offering these kinds of balloon flights to would-be space tourists.

I'm glad that XCOR (and perhaps Virgin Galactic too) have decided to start flying (and selling seats on) vehicles they can actually achieve, even if it doesn't fit some arbitrary definition. If customers are willing to buy, sell it to them!

World View successfully completed a major milestone test flight on October 24th, 2015, keeping the company on track to meet its 2017 goal for manned private flights to the edge of space. This test flight carried a scaled down, replica spacecraft to a final altitude of 100,475 feet (30,624 meters), successfully marking the transition from sub-scale testing to a historical next stage of development – full scale testing.

Published on Oct 26, 2015World View, the commercial spaceflight company, has successfully completed a major milestone test flight, keeping the company on track to meet its 2017 goal for manned private flights to the edge of space. This test flight carried a scaled down, replica spacecraft to a final altitude of 100,475 feet (30624 meters), successfully marking the transition from sub-scale testing to a historical next stage of development – full scale testing.

World View is a space experience launching in 2017 that presents a drastically different approach to the adrenaline-laced rocket ride we think of today. World View will have its Voyagers, planet earth's new class of discerning explorers, gliding peacefully along the edge of space for a two-hour sailing-like experience within a luxury capsule transported via high-altitude balloon.

Published on Oct 26, 2015World View, the commercial spaceflight company, has successfully completed a major milestone test flight, keeping the company on track to meet its 2017 goal for manned private flights to the edge of space. This test flight carried a scaled down, replica spacecraft to a final altitude of 100,475 feet (30624 meters), successfully marking the transition from sub-scale testing to a historical next stage of development – full scale testing.

World View is a space experience launching in 2017 that presents a drastically different approach to the adrenaline-laced rocket ride we think of today. World View will have its Voyagers, planet earth's new class of discerning explorers, gliding peacefully along the edge of space for a two-hour sailing-like experience within a luxury capsule transported via high-altitude balloon.

It's an ego/adventure thing. People gotta spend their money some way, for 75k you could have a 1 in 4 chance of dying while climbing Everest, or you could do this and put some money into the aerospace industry.

It's not Space, but it's Aerospace. I've got no problem with it being on the forum.

It's an ego/adventure thing. People gotta spend their money some way, for 75k you could have a 1 in 4 chance of dying while climbing Everest, or you could do this and put some money into the aerospace industry.

It's not Space, but it's Aerospace. I've got no problem with it being on the forum.

Fine, it's not "real spaceflight", just like sending people to live in some isolated enclosure in Antarctica or on the upper slopes of Mauna Loa in Hawaii isn't a "real Mars mission".

They are however research projects designed to work towards real missions.

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"There is nobody who is a bigger fan of sending robots to Mars than me... But I believe firmly that the best, the most comprehensive, the most successful exploration will be done by humans" Steve Squyres